Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

ADDRESS SYSTEM and STREET NUMBERS in FLORENCEADDRESS SYSTEM and STREET NUMBERS in FLORENCE

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Both public and private streets open to the public, have to be denominated.

Street signs, regulated by the Codice della Strada (Highway Code), are marble (downtown) or metallic plaques.

They are usually placed after the corner of the street, at 2-3 meters above street level.

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

2.330 place names

• geographical places (e.g Piazza Francia)

• famous people (e.g. artists, scientists, historians: Via Leonardo da Vinci - Florentine men of the past: Via dei Medici)

• historical events (e.g. Viale XI Agosto)

• saints (Piazza San Marco)

• various things (e.g. flowers: Piazza dei Tigli)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Place names follow some rules, the first part is fixed (the generic) and gives the “kind” of the street (e.g. Via, Viale, Corso, Lungarno), the second is variable and includes the object/person to be remembered.

We can’t have homonym names.

People have to have died at least ten years ago, thought, there may be a derogation of law, given by the state authority in special cases e.g. for the well known poetry Mario Luzi

Local government chooses the name of the street with the advice of a committee of experts.

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Groups of streets in one area are sometimes named using a particular theme. They carry the names of artists, trees, countries, politicians and more)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

In Italy there are two different street numbering systems:

• sequential numbering along both sides of the street

• numbering in kilometers the distance from the beginning of the street (for rural areas) using the metric system

In Florence the street numbering scheme is to number each plot or building entrance on one side of the road with ascending odd numbers, from 1, and those on the other with ascending even numbers, from 2, except for churches and monuments (some including head offices may have a numeration).

Number plates are fit up by the owner of building/plot or by the local administration, according to its laws.

The odd numbers are on the left side of the road, while even numbers are on the right side.

The numbering system for squares is consecutive, from 1.

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Where additional buildings are inserted or subdivided, numbers are often suffixed with letters a, b, (e.g. 19/B, 19/C).

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Inner court entrances are usually suffixed with numbers 1, 2, (e.g. 19/1 or 19/A/1).

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Street numbers run parallel to the flow of River Arno (right shore)

Every Municipality gets its street numbers to start from a geographical location (e.g. a river, a square), Florence has chosen River Arno.

(left shore)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Or run perpendicular to River Arno to the North (right shore)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

And from the river Arno to the South (left shore)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

About squares, street numbers run anticlockwise for right shore

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

and clockwise for left side (always from the closest point to the river)

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

In Florence -Genoa and Savona, too- houses are marked with black numbers, while businesses are usually (but not always) given red numbers, resulting in two distinct series for every street. The street numbers of businesses are denoted in writing by the addition of the letter “R" (e.g. Piazza Duomo, 1R).

Direzione Risorse tecnologicheServizio Statistica e toponomastica

In Florence:

5 neighborhoods

110.000 street numbers

40% residential

24.000 red numbers

374.000 residents

54.000 foreigners